ODEP - Office of Disability Employment Policy

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Business Sense

Low Cost, High Impact

As any small business owner well knows, the costs of doing business are continually rising. From goods to services, prices seem to go in only one direction—up. Over the last year, however, one management cost held steady.

A report released earlier this month by the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) revealed that the majority (57 percent) of job accommodations for employees with disabilities cost nothing, while those that do typically cost only $500  an outlay that most employers report pays for itself multiple-fold in the form of reduced insurance and training costs and increased productivity.

The report, aptly titled Low Cost, High Impact, annually updates research findings based on the experiences of employers who have used JAN's services. This year's data do not represent any significant statistical differences from last year's.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an accommodation is considered any modification or adjustment to a job or work environment that enables a qualified person with a disability to apply for or perform a job. In addition to providing data on the costs and benefits of accommodations, Low Cost, High Impact describes several solutions to situations posed to JAN over the past year related to a range of employment settings, industries and business sizes.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), JAN is the leading source of free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues and offers a variety of resources for small businesses. JAN provides assistance via phone at (800) 526-7234 or (877) 781-9403 (TTY) or online at AskJAN.org.